Shael
(Shaul) Efron also known as Samuel Loewenstein, b. 4/14/1823 or 4/15/1823,
probably Amdur, d. 8/11/1897, Frankfurt, Germany, [Grossman – City Archives of
Frankfurt; BIO011-SD; MISC019; CEM015-SD; RS077] married Sara (Sora) Sayet, b. abt.
1825 [BIO011-SD; RS077] or 10/5/1828 [Grossman], Vilna, d.
8/31/1901, Frankfurt, Germany [BIO011-SD; CEM016-SD]. In 1850 and
1858 his family is registered to the town of Amdur. The name can be spelled
either Loewenstein or Löwenstein. In fact, the name is spelled both ways on the
gravestones of Samuel and Sara

The
family registration information from Frankfurt says that Shael was born in
Bucharest, Romania on 14 April August, and died 11 August, 1897 in Frankfurt,
and Rosa (nee Gabriel – sic.) was born in Iasi, Romania on 5 Oct 1828 and died
in Frankfurt on 31 August 1901. [City Archives of Frankfurt]

According
to Leizer Aharon’s book, her father was Gabriel Sayet, and her maternal
grandfather was BenZion Yudel Berkowich. A well-known commentator, BenZion
Yudel Berkowich was the author of many books. Gabriel Sayet was the son of
Aharon, who was in turn the son of BenZion. [BIO011-SD].

An
1858 revision list record exists for the Sayet family. Her father Gabriel
Sayet, of Vilna, was born in 1797, the son of Aharon. Gabriel also had children
Yossel, b. abt. 1822, Shmuel, b. abt. 1828, and a daughter Rasa, b. abt. 1831.
Yossel Sayet was married to Ester Rivka, daughter of Bentsel.Shmuel Sayet was
married to Sora, daughter of Baruch. Yossel Sayet had children Eliash, b. 1851,
Rochla, b. 1845, and Sora, b. abt. 1847. Shmuel has a son Zelman, b. abt. 1851.
[RS072]

The
Reviski Staski record for the Sayet family in Vilnius in 1858 shows Sora’s
family but Sora is not listed because she is already married and living
elsewhere. The Sayet family has not been traced to more current generations.
One family member, Gershon Sayet, who in 1858 is identified as the son of
Sora’s brother, Shaya Girsha ben Gabriel, is listed in the newspaper Hamelitz
in 1899 as attending the Klozner-Zabludowski wedding.

The
given name Saul is very prevalent in the Katzenellenbogen family because the
progenitor of that prominent, rabbinic family was Saul Wahl of Katzenellenbogen,
Germany, and the name was passed down through the generations. In the Effron
family, the name Shaul (Shael or Saul) is very unusual. Presumably Shaul’s
maternal grandfather or grandfather had the name Shaul. Ure Lippa used the
hyphenated name “Efron-Katzenellenbogen” because his mother was from that
prominent family.

Shael
dealt in (or smuggled) gold, was imprisoned for that reason, escaped from jail,
and moved to Frankfurt where he changed his name to Loewenstein and lived for
more than 40 years with his wife. [MISC019; BIO011-SD; GARF003-SD3]. He was rich,
and fanatically religious. He left a large inheritance to his sons Leizer and
Moshe [MISC019].

“An
unusual event in Amdur happened during his lifetime. Reb Shael used to deal
with gold in the time of Alexander II, a business forbidden to Jews. He was
arrested and spent a long time in solitary confinement, in the Grodno Citadel.
A guard was bribed, and Reb Shael’s body was exchanged with that of an executed
prisoner. He was carted out of the fortress like a corpse. Then he escaped to
the other side of the border. The story shook up the entire government, but
without results.”

Another
version of the story identifies Eliezer Bregman (also spelled Bregmann),
business partner of Shael Efron, as instrumental in securing his release.
Bregman is a well-known personage in 19th century Russian Poland, one of the
most wealthy and powerful men of Grodno. He has connections to Amdur, and may
have origins from there

In
fact, Bregman may be related to Shael Efron. According to a Hebrew book
authored by Baruch Eizenshtadt (that is, Baruch Benzion Mishkovsky), Eliezer
Bregman was Shael’s cousin [MISC161]. This passage
has also been translated to say that Bregman was Shael’s brother’s son.

Based
on some elementary research on the web, Eliezer Bregman was the son of Moshe.
He was born around 1823 or 1826, his wife’s name was Khasia Sara, and his son
was Shabshel.

In
November, 2008, Nancy Grossman, a researcher based in Frankfurt, Germany saw an
inquiry I made on the JewishGen discussion group and volunteered to look into
the family of Shael Efron in Frankfurt records. I later hired her for some
limited research.

I
had just learned that his assumed name in Frankfurt was Samuel Loewenstein. I
first learned that his last name was Levinstein, based on the Czarist police
record index entry for a “Shael Efron, alias Levinstein.” [GARF003-SD3 ] In www.Jewishdata.com records I found a gravestone for
Samuel Loewenstein, died 1897. This is the date that Yedidia Effron gives for
his death and is also what is written in the introduction to Leizer Aharon’s book.
I compared the epitaph in Leizer Aharon’s book [BIO011-SD at page ו (page 11)] to the barely legible, ivy-covered epitaph on the
gravestone [CEM015-SD] and they were
a match!

The
grave of Sara Löwenstein, also found in Frankfurt, likewise matches up with
information known about her elsewhere. In this case, her father’s name is given
as Gabriel, and her date of death matches what Aharon Leizer wrote about her.

Nancy
Grossman found many pieces of information, but the family has not been traced
to today.

According
to the resident registration record for Shael’s residence in Frankfurt, he (and
his family) were born in Bucharest. Also, it states that he had previously
lived in Weisbaden for eight years before arriving in Frankfurt in April of
1880. (Nancy Grossman). This information, that he was born in Bucharest, and
the other information there is almost certainly fictitious.

Samuel's naturalization record is dated 22 August,
1876. The resident registration record provides the record number and
place it was issued, so if available, it should be easy to locate. Sara's
naturalization record is dated 14 April, 1880 (nine days after the family
moved to Frankfurt from Wiesbaden according to the residency record). Her
record number is also listed. Because they have separate records, Sara may
have come to Germany after Samuel was naturalized. It appears as though their
son Haimann had his own record, probably because he was no longer a minor when
his parents were naturalized. [N. Grossman, from City Registration for
Frankfurt].

On 1 June, 1889 Sara left for Russia with her daughter
Therese [Taube]. She didn’t return until eight years later, apparently upon
notification of her husband’s death.

Below are the dates and addresses in Frankfurt where Samuel
and his family lived:

5 April, 1880 the family registered at Bornheimer Landstr.
19, 3rd floor apartment (4th floor American style). The
owner of the residence is not listed.

3 April, 1883 the family registered at Sandweg 98. The name
of person they rented from is difficult to read, but can easily be checked. It
may read STEINER.

1 April, 1886 the family registered at Wiegertstr. or
Klingerstr. 8. The name of the street is difficult to read, but I can figure
it out by consulting the 1887 city directory. The owner of the residence was
STOESSEL.

27 June, 1889 (about 4 weeks after Sara and Therese left for
Russia), Samuel registered at Baumweg 8. The reason I think Samuel owned the
residence, is because the record shows the owner of the residence at Baumweg 8
was named LÖWENSTEIN.

20 September, 1897 (40 days after Samuel’s death), Sara and
Haimann registered at the Baumweg 8 address. It appears the apartment or
building was sold after Samuel died, because the owner is now listed as
WEINREICH.

There is an entry prior to Samuel’s registration at Baumweg
8, also dated 27 June, 1889, that was crossed out. It shows the address
Schoenstr. 29. I’m not sure if this is relevant.

There were some interesting mistakes about the countries
Samuel and Sara were originally from (neither Russia nor Romania). I will get
back to you later with this information.

> Leizer
Aharon (Aron Leiser), b. 1844, Amdur, d. after 1907, married Tsinne Khoze , b.
1853[MISC019]. Tsinne was an Efron cousin, the
daughter of Monye Khoze and Monyes’s wife, Tsipporah (Efron) Khoze (see page
-). Tsipporah was Leizer Aharon’s aunt. According to the Reviskii Skasky, in
1858 he is “Leyzer-Arel” and lives with his family in Amdur. [RS077]

He
wrote HaMisha Alphen (“Five Alephs”), a book of commentaries with an
extensive biographical introduction. A translation of portions of the
introduction to his book is at BIO011. He studied at
the Volozhin Yeshiva and knew Russian, Polish and German. He was very advanced
in his understanding of Talmud and Hebrew. [BIO011-SD; VOT036]

In
the book’s introduction, dated 1902, Aharon Leizer writes:

“I
was born in Amdur, the son of Shaul Efron, who was the son of Chaim Chaikel,
deceased. Chaim Chaikel was just, handsome and from a good family; his glowing
countenance reflected his good character. His life revolved around the Shulcan
Aruch [an important religious text]. He went on a merchant ship to Konigsburg
with farming goods he bought from the Russian nobles. In 1831 was the
Polish/Moravia Five Year War…in 1863, a high level minister escorted Chaim Chaikel,
in a friendly way [in trade], because Chaim Chaikel was looked upon favorably.”

The
introduction continues, with further biographical information (summary):

Chaim
Chaikel’s wife was Leah and she lived to almost 100 years, an extraordinary
woman in her charity. She fed hundreds at her table and supported poor
scholars. She was from the Katzenellenbogen family, a descendant of Saul Wahl
Katzenellenbogen, the famous Polish “King for a Day.” The story of Saul Wahl is
told.

Aharon
Eliezer’s mother, Sara, was born in Vilna. Her father was Gabriel Sayet,
son-in-law of BenZion Yuda Berkowich. Gabriel’s father was Aaron, son of
Ben-Zion Sayet. She was clearly identified as a descendant of the great Katzenellenbogen
family, but from a different branch than her husband.

Aharon
Eliezer attended the Volozhin Yeshiva and learned from …. Dov Ber… etc. The story
of Shael’s jailing, ransom and escape is recounted. Aharon Eliezer and his
father went to Hamburg. After six months they returned to Russia for Aharon
Eliezer to marry a woman chosen by his father. His wife was Tzina, daughter of
Shael’s sister. Aharon and Tzina had three boys and three girls. Shael went
from Hamburg to Frankfurt am Main. The social and intellectual life of
Frankfurt is discussed. Shael’s home in Frankfurt was a salon of the highest
caliber, with guests who were wealthy and intellectuals, especially Russian
immigrants. According to Aharon Eliezer, Shael was a great merchant, and if he
had decided to become a rabbi he would have become a great rabbi.

Tsinne
was the daughter of Shmuel, in Amdur. Four years after their marriage, Shael’s
mother died, and her wealth went to Aharon Eliezer. The inheritance included
land that Chaim Cheikel had given to Leah by Ketubah. [It is very unusual for a
dowry to include land]. Aharon Eliezer worked the land. He had laborers,
livestock, and oversaw the farming. This was all at the time of Empress
Katherine II. Aharon Eliezer also became the Chazon (cantor) of Amdur. [Sam
Effron’s autobiography, Part I, describes the estate owned by Eliezer,
who he calls Elieser Shael. According to Sam Effron, Leizer Aharon received
part of the estate from his father-in-law, Shmuel Choze (“Close”) for a dowry,
and they had a child Sam Effron’s age (born about 1875). ]

Shael
died (abt. 1887). News came by wire from Aharon Eliezer’s brother, a doctor of
jurisprudence. The biography recounts Shael’s final days, and includes messages
from well-wishers, remembering Shae. Shael’s epitaph is reproduced.

After
Shael’s death, Aharon Eliezer went to Frankfurt for shiva and to take care of
business matters. He lived there for five years. Upon his return, his mother,
Sarah, died and he needed to return to Frankfurt.

Aharon
Eliezer had seven children who died, all boys. It is unclear from the text if
this includes the six children mentioned previously. His youngest sister,
Peshe, died young. She had only one daughter, and no sons. Then his
brother-in-law, brother of his wife, died at the age of 22. All of this
happened in 1892. He then returned to Amdur, collected himself, and “set off
with the wind.”

When
he was a student in Volozhin. He went to the nearby shtetl Krieve to visit his
cousin for Pesach. She was the daughter of Aryeh Leib Efron of Bialystok.
There, he went to the “bet Merkhatz” (Turkish bath); he was then 26 years old.
He was not too healthy due to a recurring illness that happened to him
sometimes.

(Translation/abstract
by Chana Furman, Israel, of “Sefer Chameshah Alphin” (The Book of Five Alephs),
by Aharon Eliezer Efron, son of the late Shael Shmuel of Amdur (1914, Berlin).
Chana translated and I wrote, at the 2006 genealogy conference in NYC. The above
is partly in summary, partly in translation, and large portions are not
included. The introduction to his book is dated 1902.)

According
to J. Lewis, who also translated portions of this book, it says that Aharon
Eliezer had seven children (bonim ktanim=small children). He writes that he was
married to Tzina who bore him 6 children - 3 boys and 3 girls. In parenthesis
he writes that they should be blessed with long life. Later in the paragraph
where he writes that five years after his father died, his mother died. He
continues and says that death was not merciful and it took seven children who
died in infancy and then subsequently his younger sister Pesha died. One interpretation
is that seven children died in infancy but six survived - otherwise why bless
them with long life?

When
he was a student studying in the Volozhin Yeshiva he traveled to Kereva to
visit a relative "the famous, wealthy, and learned G-d fearing R' Arye
Leib Efron of Bialystock".(J. Lewis)

"And
I went, on the eve of Pesach, to the local bathhouse and after I returned to my
relative's house from the bathhouse I fell into bed because I contracted a high
fever which reached 42 degrees (Celsius). The doctor who came there from
Ashmina, Vilna Province was unable to find a cure for my illness. However after
two weeks from the day I became ill the fever was lifted from me by the help of
G-d and I was able to stand on my feet. I was then 16 years old."

(translated
by J. Lewis)

Note:
Krevo is 13 miles from Volozhin. The 1858 revision list for Krevo is on
JewishGen in the All Lithuania database. I searched for wives whose father’s
name was Leib. There was a Sora bat Leiba, b. 1834, married to Girsh Borukh
Abramson, b. 1833 (notes are unclear, but appears that his parents are Nechuman
and Elka). There was also a Tauba bat Leiba, b. abt. 1832, married to a Chaim
Elia b’ Movsha KAPELEVICH, b. abt. 1832.

> > Daughter,
b. approx. 1864. She was the oldest daughter. She married the grandson of
Shmuel Yosef Finn in Vilna, according to Yedidia Effron. [MISC019]. Her name is
unknown.

Samuel
Joseph Finn (or Fin or Fuenn), 1820-1890, was the publisher of the Yiddish
periodical HaKarmel (Ha-Carmel) and the first history of the Jews of Vilna,
Kiriah Neemanah (Vilna, 1860) (Brandeis U. library DS135.R93 V 53 1915a). [According
to Dr. Freedman, Kiriah Neemana has a biography of Finn, but it has not been
checked.] It is not known if this daughter’s husband had the surname Finn
because his Finn ancestry could be through his mother. Yosef Shmuel (Joseph
Samuel) had a son Benjamin Isaac, born about 1847 [Revision list cite], who was
a doctor [Jewishgen Lit Sig newspaper references] and contributed texts to a
fledgling hospital in Palestine. There was also a daughter, Rivka, born about
1843 [revision list site]. Yosef Shmuel also had a step daughter, in 1858,
Masa, who was also born in about 1843 [Revision list cite]. A book about Jewish
family law (search google books re: Benjamin Finn or Fuenn) states that
Benjamin Finn was unmarried and did not want his sister to inherit his wealth
because she had turned to Catholicism. Interestingly, in the Revision list
found for Samuel Josef Finn, it says that his son was baptized into
Christianity.

From
an 1858 census list in Vilna, Samuel Yosef Finn, son of Isaac, was excluded
because he was an “Education Officer.” In 1850 he was 32 years old (born around
1818). He is shown with a daughter, Rivka, 15 (born about 1843) and a son
Benjamin Isaac, 11 (born about 1847). An annotation for Benjamin says that in
1862 he “left” (the city?) and was “baptized into Christianity.” Perhaps the
annotation is for Rivka, which would much better match up with the other
information we know about her. Step-daughter Masa also lives there. Perhaps the
grandchild who married into the Efron family came through this step-daughter or
another step-child who was not part of the Finn household in 1858. [RS073]

The Jewish
Encyclopedia’s article on Benjamin Finn identifies him as a Russian physician;
son of Samuel Fuenn; b. 1848, Vilna; d. Vilna 8/12/1901. Educated at the
rabbinical seminary of Vilna and then studied medicine and graduated with an
M.D. from the U. of St. Petersburg. He settled in Vilna and devoted his
professional skill to the healing of the poor. He wrote numerous papers in
scientific journals. [BIO0124]

“Fuenn was very
active in interesting the Jews in agriculture, and for three years was a
trustee of a society for the assistance of the Jewish colonists in Palestine
and Syria. In 1898 he was one of the three elders elected to administer the
affairs of the Jewish community of Wilna. He left the greater part of his
fortune to charitable institutions and for the furtherance of Jewish
colonization in Palestine.” [BIO014]

According
to an article in The Maccabbean about The Jewish Medical Society in
Jaffa:

“The
Jewish Medical Society in Jaffa was established in January, 1912, and contains
eighteen members, namely, ten doctors and a chemist in Jaffa, five doctors in
the colonies of Rishon-le -Zion, Rechoboth, Petach-Tikvah, Chederah, and Zichron-Jacob,
and two doctors in Tiberias. As there are only forty Jewish doctors altogether
in Palestine the new society contains a very good proportion. The society has
already acquired the nucleus of a medical library in the form of the collection
of medical books that belonged to Dr. Finn of Vilna, and proposes to make
statistical inquiries into the health conditions of the school children of
Palestine. It has also appointed a commission to study the question of
tuberculosis in Palestine.” [MISC048]

The
eulogy of S.J. Fuenn may have something to contribute to this analysis [OBIT074-SD]

> > Berel.
He studied in Vilna and became a dentist for the military [MISC019]. According to
Sam Effron’s genealogy [GEN029-SD], Berel had
died approximately the early 1950s, which Sam Effron learned about when Sam
visited Argentina around that time.

> > 2
sons, ­names unknown

> > 2
daughters, names unknown

> Theresa
(Taube) Weinreich, b. abt. 1853 [RS077] or 7/15/1856 [City
Archives of Frankfurt via N. Grossman], married 1891 in Bialystok to Fishel
(Fishel Meyer?) Weinreich [MAR016]. According to
the marriage record, his father’s name is Ber. After Shael and Sara died, the
owner of the house in Frankfurt was “Weinreich”– presumably Theresa and Fishel.
According to the City Family Registration for her, she was born 7/15/1856 in
Bucharest. [N. Grossman research]

In
1900, Therese Weinreich lived at 8 Baumweg Street, the same address as her
parents. In 1910, she is also listed there, and is identified as a widow. She
is not listed in the 1920 city directory. [N. Grossman research]

On 27 July, 1889, about 4 weeks after his wife and daughter
left for Russia and about two weeks after his son moved to Burgel, it appears
Samuel bought the residence at Baumweg 8 and moved in. [N. Grossman - City
Registration for Frankfurt].

The
three children below are based on the fact that they were born as the daughters
of “Fishel Weinreich” but there is no confirmation that there wasn’t another
Fishel Weinreich in Bialystok. Weinreich is not too common a name in Bialystok.

> > Malka,
b. 1891, Bialystok [JRI-Poland]

> > Gittel,
b. 1892, Bialystok [JRI-Poland]

> > Chasia,
b. 1899, Bialystok [JRI-Poland]

The
marriage record index entry on JRI-Poland identifies him as “Fishel Meyer,” but
other records suggest that his name was solely Fishel, and that his father’s
name was Meyer. A review of other Bialystock WEINREICH vital records from the
JRI-P database shows individuals whose father is Meyer Ber Weinreich,
suggesting that Taube’s husband was named Fishel, and his father’s name was
Meier Ber Weinreich. For example, there is a record for a Michael Weinreich,
son of Meyer Ber Weinreich of Bialystok – he could be a brother of Fishel.

In
the 1897 census for Grodno, on JewishGen, there are two properties owned by
“Fishel Veinrakh”. On the first lives the Rubinstein family. In the second
lives Meier Veinrakh, (son of Yankel), age 63, and his daughter, Ginda (Hinda),
age 29. They were both born and registered in Bialystok. Possibly, the
Weinreich family tree is as follows:

Yankel

> Meyer
Ber

> > Fishel

> > Hinda

A
“Fischel Weinrach” of Grodno travelled from Hamburg on the SS Columbia in
August, 1902. The ship was destined for New York via Liverpool. No record was
found for his at New York on the Columbia, nor any other ship for that matter.
This suggests that he may have gone only as far as England. This Fischel
Weinrach was 36 years old – a tad young to be the husband of Taube, but not out
of the question.

As
of mid-2012, this branch of the Efron Family History is still too incomplete,
despite many efforts to locate any portion of the family that survived WW II,
or immigrated sometime earlier. Many attempts over the course of several years,
some with promise, have come up short.

> Hermann
“Haimann” (Chaim), b. 1/3/1855 [N. Grossman research; RS077], d. 1/1/1914, Frankfurt [N. Grossman –
City Archives of Frankfurt; Jewishdata CEM--] According to the Reviskii Skasky,
in 1858 he is listed with his family in Amdur but is then “absent.”. [RS077] His registration in the city archives
of Frankfurt says he was born in Budapest, Romania.

It
is not known if he was married or not. Haimann lived for a period of time in
Burgel, which is close to Frankfurt.

On 15 July, 1889, about six weeks after Sara and Therese
left Frankfurt for Russia, Haimann moved to Burgel am Main (since 1908 a part
of Offenbach am Main, a city that borders Frankfurt am Main). (N. Grossman)

The resident registration record for Haimann includes a
naturalization record number which ends with IV / 97. If this stands for
“April, 1897”, it could mean that Haimann applied for and was granted German
citizenship at around the same time, possibly in anticipation of his fathers’
death. A naturalization record can be acquired. (N. Grossman).

On 20 September, 1897, just 40 days after Samuel died, both
Sara and Haimann registered at the Baumweg 8 address. Haimann moved back to
Frankfurt from Burgel to live with his mother after his father died. Sara
remained in Frankfurt for the rest of her life. It is known that Aharon
Leizer came to Frankfurt to help settle affairs after Samuel died, so possibly he
accompanied his mother when she returned in 1897. (N. Grossman)

Evidently, the family sold the residence at Baumweg 8 after
Samuel died, but before Sara and Haimann moved in. Sara continued to live at
the Baumweg 8 address until she died, four years later. Haimann also remained
at that address until he died on 1 Jan. 1914 (New Year’s Day). The family may
have sold the residence in 1897 on the condition they could stay and keep
renting from the new owner. (N. Grossman) This appears to be the case because
the new owner is named Weinreich.

The Frankfurt registration record does not mention that
Haimann was a widow, or that he ever had a wife and children. Records from
Burgel/Offenbach, a probate record, or Haimann’s naturalization record should
be checked to confirm this. (N. Grossman)

The
references in Amdur, Mayn Geboyrn Shtetl, do not refer to Chaim as part
of this family. However, Hermann Loewenstein, found by Nancy Grossman in
Frankfurt records, is apparently the same person as the Chaim who is listed in
the Revision List and his gravestone has been identified on www.Jewishdata.com .

> Chaya
Peshe, b. abt. 1856 [RS077], d. abt. 1892,
married Unknown, d. 1892, age 22. The information from Aharon Eliezer’s book is
(as translated) inconsistent with RS077, and needs to be re-examined. According
to Aharon Eliezer’s book, his sister Peshe died young, leaving only one
daughter, and Peshe’s husband died at age 22 in 1892. [BIO011-SD]
This
would suggest that she was born (if about the same age as her husband) around
1870. This does not make sense because other records indicate that she was born
in 1856.

> Moshe,
b. 1/16/1864, married in Frankfurt, Germany on 10/6/1899 to Rosa Reinheimer, b.
6/27/1867, Gross Zimmern, Germany (N. Grossman research), d. 10/17/1947 in
Moenchengladbach, Germany. He was a county judge. [Doctor of Jurisprudence?]
[Amdur book]; also described as a Junior Judge (Court Assessor) [Grossman].
After Curt was born, the family moved to Kirchen an der Sieg, Rheinland-Pfalz,
Germany. Previously, he had lived in Wiesbaden and then Heidelburg (and perhaps
was at the university there).

According
to the City Archives of Frankfurt, he was born 1/16/1864, in Bucharest. Rosa
was born in Gross Zimmern, Germany on 27 June, 1867. On 6 October, 1899, Moses
got married to Rosa REINHEIMER in Frankfurt. (N. Grossman – City Archives of
Frankfurt) On 22 October, 1899, the couple moved to Maulbeerstr. 6 and rented
from a family named ETZEL. Moses was a Junior Judge (Court Assessor).

It is possible that the date and place of death for Moses is
recorded in the margin of their marriage record.

There is no reference to a naturalization record for Moses
in the records examined by N. Grossman. He may have been automatically granted
citizenship under his mother or fathers’ record because he was still a minor,
or his naturalization is noted on a record in Heidelberg or another location.

While living in Frankfurt, Moses and Rosa LÖWENSTEIN had two
children:

- Elsa Friederike Laura, born 7 September 1900

- Curt Theodor, born 28 November 1901

On 1 May 1903 Moses left Frankfurt and moved to Kirchen an
der Sieg (located in the German State of “Rheinland-Pfalz”). His wife and
children followed him there two months later, on 1 July, 1903.

Right after the family moved to Frankfurt in 1880, Moses
went back to Wiesbaden (or he never really left Wiesbaden). He was only 16
years old, so he may have been attending school there. The resident
registration records from Wiesbaden can be consulted for more information.
Moses moved back to Frankfurt on 25 March, 1884, but he stayed for only six
days. On 31 March, 1884 he moved to a town that is not legible on the record.
I need to study it further, and will advise you later. He was gone for five
months. On 20 August, 1884, he returned to Frankfurt. Two months later, on 14
October, 1884, he moved to Heidelberg. He may have attended the University
there. [N. Grossman, from City Registration for Frankfurt].

On 12 March, 1897, thirteen years after leaving Frankfurt
and just months before his father died, Moses moved back to Frankfurt. His
address was Bergerstr. 51, just 4-5 blocks away from his father at Baumweg 8.
It is not clear whether Moses had been living in Heidelberg the entire time.
Heidelberg’s resident registration records would provide more information on
this. [N. Grossman, from City Registration for Frankfurt]

I
found through an internet search a website that included a book written about a
village in the city ofMoenchengladbach,
Germany. In Uber die Hardt, by Michael Korner, is a story about a woman
and her two daughters who were hidden in an orphanage during WW II. Rosa Löwenstein
and her two daughters, Elsa and Irene! Included in the chapter “Versteckt in
Hardt” (Hidden in Hardt) is a photo from the local residents’ registration
book, which says that in the 1950s the two daughters were living in Köln (Cologne).
[MISC162-SD].

Interestingly,
in 1946, as Köln
was re-establishing its Jewish community, a Fritz Loewenstein was
voted in as one of the Jewish Community's 12 representatives. [N. Grossman
research] Maybe he is somehow connected to the family.

Efforts
to find out what happened to them in Köln have included the help of a local
professor, but nothing new has been learned.

According
to the registration book from Moenchengladbach, and the article in the book
described above, after she was hidden during WW II, she then went to Köln, in
1953.

Elsa
may be the Elsa Lebenstein who married an Adler and died in the Lodz Ghetto in
the Holocaust [YAD--]. HOWEVER, it seems that Elsa (Lebenstein) Adler, from the
Yad Vashem records, and Elsa Löwenstein, from Nancy Grossman’s Frankfurt
research, are not the same person. In a similar fashion, Aenne is also listed as
dying in the Lodz ghetto. In that case, though, Aenne’s Yad Vashem record shows
her mother’s full name – including maiden name. But maybe Elsa (and maybe
Irene) didn’t die in the ghetto. This is quite different from the entry in the
register of Moenchengladbach which says that Aenne was in Köln in the 1950s,
according to the story in Uber die Hardt [MISC162-SD], as discussed
above. The Yad Vashem record for Elsa is based on an entry in the German
Gedenkbuch says that her maiden name was Lebenstein and that she was born in
1901 and had lived in Frankfurt, which all match up with information that Researcher
Grossman found for Elsa in Frankfurt records.

The
Yad Vashem records that say that Elsa and Irene died in the Holocaust in the
Lodz Ghetto cannot be substantiated. The information was submitted by a “researcher,”
not by a family member. [verify]

> >
Kurt Theodor, b. 11/28/1901, Frankfurt [N. Grossman research], d. 8/11/1929,
Germany [cem--]. His gravestone is available at JewishData.com under the name
Kurt Loewenstein: “Hier Ruht/Kurt Loewenstein/Unser Unvergesslicher/Sohn und
bruder/Dahingegangen in der/Blute Seiner Jahre/Geb. 28.11.1901/Gest.
11.8.1929.” His birth date taken from Frankfurt records matches up with the
birth date on the gravestone. It is not known if he was married or if he had
any children.

> > Aenne
(Irene, Marrianne?), b. 5 June 1904, an der Siege, Germany [MISC162-SD] She supposedly
died about 1942 in Lodz, in the Holocaust. [Yad Vashem], but that is completely
contrary to the story in Uber die Hardt [MISC162-SD], as discussed
above. According to the registration book from Moenchengladbach, and the
article in the book described above, after she was hidden during WW II she went
to Köln in 1952.

> Zlata,
b. 2/11/1861, Vilna. She was listed in the Revision Statski for this family. [RS077]

From the online magazine Nu, What’s
Nu from Avotaynu in June 2010 I was alerted to the YIVO encyclopedia, newly
published online. There I found a grades/graduation certificate issued in 1869
to one 20 year-old Chaim Efron of Antokol, Vilna. This Chaim was the son of
Aaron. Antokol is located about one mile from Vilna. He was born in 1849,
which means he is too old to be a son of Leizer Aharon, but there is no other
family where this unusual reference can be placed. Perhaps he is another
grandson of Chaim Tsinne’s?